Return to New Orleans wasn’t supposed to happen for Suns
This isn’t supposed to be happening, but here we are.
The Pelicans finished the regular season 10 games under .500 and 28 games out of first place. Their high-flying superstar, Zion Williamson, hasn’t played a minute all season. And their primary ballhandler, CJ McCollum, just showed up two months ago.
Still, look for this group to give the top-seeded Suns their toughest battle of the season in Game 6 on Thursday in New Orleans.
Blame Pelicans’ coach Willie Green. The first-year head man has gotten his guys to adopt his hard-boiled personality and blue-collar approach, and their play over the past few weeks has connected with the city’s fanbase in a way that’s making the Smoothie King Center anything but a treat for opponents.
“We’re proud, extremely proud, of how we’ve handled all of these games down the stretch,” Green said, recently. “A lot of them have been high-intensity moments for us; and in the playoffs, we took another step with that. Our guys are doing great. It’s our first time doing this together, but we’re going after it. That’s the key for us: Stay together; go after it; and let it come out in the wash.”
Green came through the coaching ranks as a defensive guru under Steve Kerr and Monty Williams. He played 12 years in the NBA, earning the respect of all-time greats such as Allen Iverson and Chris Paul. And in his rookie season, Green saw his hometown Pistons win the NBA championship with one of the most stifling defenses of all time.
Is there any wonder his guys play with an edge that’s uncommon, but essential, for an eight-seed trying to knock off the best team in the league?
“We won’t give up,” Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas said recently. “We’re going to fight.”
There’s nothing flashy about Green. There are no frills to his team.
The Pelicans crash the offensive glass like they don’t care about giving up fast breaks. They play huge, with two 7-footers and a slew of 6-8 wings, almost like they haven’t gotten the message that the modern NBA is supposed to be a guard’s league. And their AllStar, Brandon Ingram, is reluctant to bring attention to himself.
It might seem from a distance to be in diametric opposition to the aesthetic of the Big Easy; but from the looks of things in the arena and from the accounts of people who have been there, the never-say-die Pelicans have captured the hearts and minds of the 504.
NOLA fans are filling the stands in Tshirts that read, “You gotta fight.”
There have also been “No Limit” Pelicans jerseys, emblazoned with a tank, the logo of the homegrown rap record label that threatened to take over the entertainment world in the late ’90s.
It’s reminiscent of the “We Believe” Warriors and “Grindhouse” Grizzlies, a pair of teams that squeaked into the playoffs and knocked off top seeds.
Frankly, this feels like a worst-case scenario for the Suns.
New Orleans fans are going to be loud, rowdy and eager to pull off an upset.
The referees are allowing physical play from the Pelicans, and the banging and crashing around is sure to stoke the crowd’s energy.
And Devin Booker, the Phoenix player most likely to revel in such circumstances, is dealing with a bum hamstring.
To keep this series from going to a Game 7, the Suns are going to have to beat a team that has connected with its coach and with its fanbase in a way that’s uncommon, but essential, for an eight-seed trying to knock off a No. 1.
This isn’t supposed to be happening, but here we are.
Blame Willie Green.